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Ki-45 KAIb Toryu
The Kawasaki'' Ki-45 ''Toryu (屠龍, "Dragon Slayer". Army designation: "Type-2 Two-Seat Fighter". Allied reporting name "Nick") was a two-seat, twin-engine heavy fighter fielded by the Imperial Japanese Army during WWII. Background The Ki-45 Toryu was developed in response to the rapid emergence of twin engined heavy fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 110 in the European theatres. The Imperial Japanese Army development of a twin-engine, two-seat fighter in 1937, and assigned the proposal by Kawasaki Shipbuilding the designation of Ki-38. This only went as far as a mock up, but by December of that year, the army ordered a working prototype as the Ki-45, which first flew in January 1939. Results from the test flights, however, did not meet the army's expectations. The Ha-20 Otsu engine was underpowered and failure-prone, while the airframe suffered from nacelle stall. The Ki-45 did not enter service, but the army, insistent on having a working twin-engine fighter, ordered Kawasaki to continue development. Kawasaki responded by replacing the engines with the proven Nakajima Ha-25. This time, the testing results were much more satisfactory. In October 1940, the army ordered continued improvements such as switching to the 805 kW (1,080 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-102 engines. This craft, designated Ki-45 Kai, was complete in September 1941 and was officially adopted for use by the army in February 1942 as the "Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter". Originally, the Ki-45 was fielded as a bomber escort, much like the Bf 110. However, it was found to be easily outclassed by P-40 Warhawks piloted by the Flying Tigers over the skies of Guilin and Hanoi. It became clear that the Ki-45 could not hold its own against single-engine fighters in aerial dogfights. As a result, the Ki-45's role was changed to anti-shipping and ground attack, where it performed satisfactorily thanks to its heavy armament and decent bomb load. Nonetheless, the Ki-45's greatest strength proved to be its bomber intercepting capabilities. Heavily armed with a 37 mm cannon, the Ki-45 could shred heavy bombers with ease. By mid 1944, the need for a bomber destroyer to defend the Japanese mainland against B-29 raids was ever present. Soon, the Ki-45 was deployed to counter the Superfortresses. Although its armament was clearly deadly enough, the Ki-45 suffered at high altitudes and are no match of Allied escort fighters such as the P-51 Mustang and the P-47 Thunderbolt. Modifications such as reduction of fuel and ordnance were attempted to raise performance, to little avail. Pilots soon resorted to ramming attacks against the Superfortresses. Special attack groups specifically designed for this purpose formed, but by late 1945 Imperial Japan's fate has already been sealed. Performance Advanatges The pinnacle of a multi-purpose aircraft, the Ki-45's mighty 37 mm cannon allows it to destroy large airborne targets with ease, and its nose mounted 12.7 mm machine guns allows for some capability when it comes to aerial dogfighting. And despite its large size and heavy weight, the Ki-45 is surprisingly agile for a heavy fighter, and when confronting boogies the Ki-45 can't hope to out maneuver, the 7.98 mm tail gun can still get the job done. Drawbacks Albeit powerful, the 37 mm cannon only holds 16 rounds, therefore one has to use them conservatively, the cannon's low projectile velocity and low rate of fire also restricts its usage to against large, slow targets such as airships or bombers only. And much like most other Yufang aircraft designs, the Ki-45 is poorly armored, the only bit is found behind the pilot's seat, leaving both the tail gunner, the engines, the fuel tank and the front of the cockpit completely unprotected. The lack of maneuverability and large size compared to other single engined fighters only worsens the issue. Operators Currently, the unidentified group of mercenaries are the only known operators of the Toryu. At least three Toryus are under their possession, they were used as boarding planes when the mercenaries hijacked the Kotobuki's airship, the Hagoromo, in episode 8. These aircraft, much like the Hayates they operate, are painted in simple black camouflage. The Toryus, along with a Ki-84 Hayate, fell into the Kotobuki's possession after the team sent to hijack the Hagoromo were thwarted. These aircrafts were not seen in the preceding episodes, they were likely sold along with the Hayate to cover up the Hagoromo's repair costs. Nick.jpeg Nick side.jpeg Nick top.jpeg Category:Aircraft Category:Fighter Planes